Mean-field phase diagrams of spinor bosons in an optical cavity

Abstract

The plethora of possible ground states of spinor bosons placed in an external lattice and a cavity is revisited. We discuss the simplest configuration when the external lattice nodes coincide with the antinodes of the cavity field. We analyze the problem within the grand-canonical mean-field approach, considering both the homogeneous system and the nonhomogeneous case with a harmonic trapping potential. Due to the spin degree of freedom, in the homogeneous case, we treat the system in a twofold manner: we impose the physically relevant total-magnetization constraint, while also discussing the minimization landscape for the full unconstrained problem. In the latter, by combining analytical arguments with numerical calculations based on the Gutzwiller ansatz, we show that the system exhibits two types of magnetic phases: an antiferromagnetic Mott insulator (AFM) and a ferromagnetic density wave (FDW). In addition, two distinct supersolid phases emerge, characterized by different patterns of spin and density imbalances. In the case of zero total magnetization, the FDW phases are replaced by charge density waves (CDWs) that lack net magnetic ordering. Finally, we establish the phase diagram of the trapped system, providing direct guidance for future experiments.

10 pages + appendix, 6 figures, revisited version